UK to launch 100,000 genomes project as Obama backs DNA drive

LONDON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Gene research is getting a boost
on both sides of the Atlantic, with scientists in England set to
launch a project on Feb. 2 to analyse 100,000 entire human
genomes and U.S. President Barack Obama backing a big new DNA
data drive.

The twin projects show the accelerating work by researchers
to understand the underlying basis of diseases and develop
medicines targeted to the genetic profile of individual
patients.

Obama will announce the U.S. plan to analyse genetic
information from more than 1 million American volunteers on
Friday as a central part of an initiative to promote so-called
precision medicine, officials said.

The 100,000 genomes project in England, meanwhile, was first
unveiled by the British government two years ago -- but the 11
centres charged with collecting samples will only begin
full-scale recruitment from next week. The aim is to complete
the programme by the end of 2017.

Such large-scale genomic research has become possible
because the cost of genome sequencing has plummeted in recent
years to around $1,000 per genome. That is a far cry from 15
years ago when it cost some $3 billion to get the first human
genome.

In the case of the British project, all the sequencing will
be carried out by U.S. biotech company Illumina, which
has pioneered fast and cheap technology to read genetic code.

The 100,000 genomes project is focusing on patients with
rare diseases, and their families, as well as people with common
cancers. The idea is to tease out the common drivers of disease
to help develop better drugs and diagnostic tests.

In addition to helping doctors understand more about
disease, the government also hopes the scheme will make the
state-run National Health Service a world leader in science and
boost Britain's life sciences industry.

The project will actually recruit around 75,000
participants, rather than 100,000, since people with cancer will
provide two genomes -- one derived from the healthy cells in
their body and one from their tumour. By comparing the two,
experts hope to find the exact genetic changes causing cancer.
(Editing by Susan Thomas)